Extension For Better Results!

24 heuresElizabeth MOSIMA | 01-03-2018 05:15

The Context

The new deadline for the Normalisation Committee is expected to bring hope and contribute in the efficient organisation of 2019 AFCON.

The news of extension by another six months of the mandate of the Normalistaion Committee of FECAFOOT did not come as a surprise to many Cameroonians given that the committee had not been able to accomplish the task for which it was assigned.

It is for this reason that a five-man delegation from the World football governing body, FIFA, ended a two-day working visit to Cameroon on Tuesday February 27, 2018.

The objective of the delegation was to evaluate milestone covered in reforming FECAFOOT and avenues of a possible extension. At the end of the visit, the FIFA delegation led by Veron Mossenga Omba announced the extension of the mandate to August 31, 2018 during a press conference in Yaounde on February 27, 2018.

The Normalisation Committee will have to work for another six months at the helm of FECAFOOT in order to manage the affairs of the institution and lay the groundwork for the election of a new executive bureau.

According to Veron Mossengo Omba, for the election to take place, certain measures and dispositions have to be put in place by the government notably the amendment by parliament of the 2011 law governing sports activities in Cameroon.

Also, the forensic audit by an international firm hired by FIFA has to be completed before the Normalisation Committee can proceed. The firm is set to audit the records from 2013-2017.

The Normalistation Committee led by Dieudonné Happi was put in place on September 8, 2017 and was expected to end on Wednesday February 2018.

The Normalisation committee is coming at a time when Cameroon football is rocked by internal squabbles and division among club managers and the players. Within FECAFOOT, it is the struggle for power among some power hungry individuals.

Poor management in some clubs has led to disunity among football officials and players and has of recent hampered the performance of Cameroonian teams both in the national and international scene.

Extending the mandate of the Normalisation Committee of FECAFOOT can be described as a new era in the process of the normalisation of the institution. However, the extension comes at a time when Cameroon is preparing to host the 2019 AFCON. The world is watching to see what will come out of the extension of the Normalisation Committee.

Dieudonné Happi and his team thus have a huge task to put the house in order. It is imperative that the problems rigging Cameroon football be resolved before the new deadline for Cameroon to be successful in the organistation of the 2019 AFCON and also for the national football team to succeed in the campaign. The national football team cannot be successful in such an expedition when there is division and misunderstandings in the house.